Squeezing more out of the market

Australians might be unimpressed with the same old offerings in the local holiday scene but they can be enticed out of home by the chance to do something different.

Tim Alpe of New Zealand-based Jucy Rentals found a big appetite for more intrepid travel when he launched the modified campervans in Australia two years ago.

Starting with just five rental vans, Jucy now has 300 vans on Australian roads and plans to have 500 venturing around the continent by October.

The brightly coloured converted people movers are designed to take van travel out of the bong market – dominated by Wicked vans – and the seniors market – dominated by Britz and Maui vans.

“The market has been dominated by backpackers and the blue rinse set, but now it’s filling in with young couples and families with young children," says Alpe.

The vehicles are easier to drive than caravans or older types of vans because they are essentially people movers with interiors that have been fitted out by boatbuilders – hence their broader appeal.

Alpe says the business has been buoyed by the improvements in the standards of camping and caravanning markets, and travellers have also found new ways of living the nomadic life.

“There is still some freedom camping around lakes and rivers, but many Brits also use the vans for making tea at the beach and will still stay in accommodation at night or they’ll spend a few nights in the vehicle and others nights in hotels."